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The most common question before the Sheffield tournament was clear: Were the Slovaks capable of winning their third straight gold at the U16 championship? Slovakia had the most prestigious junior academy that time (and logically the most successful), so there was nothing at the time to indicate any future change in this trend.
On the first day of play, all pre-tournament predictions turned out to be flawed as the Canadian team was absolutely dominant. It won without any problem the first game against the USA, who managed only five shots on Canadian goalie Mateo Petrelli the whole game! After opening with a 5-1 win, they beat the Czechs later the same day, and moved into the driver´s seat only a few hours after the start of the tournament.
Another surprise of the championship was the performance of the Slovaks, who collapsed mightily against the upstart Canadians. Canada beat the defending champion in the group stage by a score of 7-0. The main hero of the game forward Eric Florchuk, who scored two big goals and ended up as the tournament´s top scorer.
The whole championship was also a big disappointment for the Czechs, who finished without a medal from this age category for the first time – the USA defeated them 2-1 in the bronze-medal game.
Slovakia got a chance for revenge against Canada in the final, but even though they played much better this time, they still fell a bit short, losing 2-1 in a close game. For the Canadians it was their third victory in the U16 category, after previous titles in 2008 and 2010.
Standings of 2016 ISBHF U16 World Championship in Sheffield (GBR)
1. Canada
2. Slovakia
3. USA
4. Czech Republic
5. Switzerland
6. Great Britain